


Artificial

by markiboss (purplelly)



Series: Wires and Rods [1]
Category: jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: M/M, robot engineer!mark, robot!jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 17:36:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4573533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplelly/pseuds/markiboss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark finds Jack, a lone, damaged robot in need of some care.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Artificial

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how many more parts will be added. We'll just see aha.

The air was heavy with the recent rain. Mark grimaced, hating how the humidity felt on his skin, and avoided the puddles on the ground as he made his way towards the repair shop. He pulled his keys out of his pocket, sorting through the ring until he found the right one. As he looked up as he approached the door, he noticed a figure sitting down in front of it.

It was a person, Mark thought at first. He was sitting down with his knees pulled up and his head in his arms. He had the appearance of sleeping.

Mark assumed he was homeless. The front door of the shop had a hangover that must have helped shield him from the rain. Mark doesn’t blame him for seeking shelter there.

Still, he had to get into his shop. Maybe Mark would let him inside to dry off.

Mark knelt and reached out to shake the person’s shoulder. As he got closer, though, he noticed a few things that he should’ve noticed before.

The person’s skin was fake. Rubber, sculpted skin Mark only saw on bots. In a few places, like on it’s head and elbows and (Mark now notices) it’s bare feet, the skin had been rubbed off, revealing the metal underneath.

Mark was now more concerned for this being. He shook his shoulder until the robot started to stir.

Soon there was a distinct humming Mark was sure shouldn’t be heard. The robot was in worse shape than he thought.

The robot looked up, blinking his eyes slowly as they adjusted. His blue ones met Mark’s.

Then they widened and he was scrambling to stand, all the while nearly shouting out, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I had to rest, I didn’t mean to–!”

Mark held his hands out. “It’s okay! I just want to make sure you’re alright.” It had an accented voice chip. Interesting…

The robot’s chest moved up and down quickly. Mark determined he must have an air-based energy system, one that mimics human breathing, but he shouldn’t be ‘breathing’ so fast, even when panicking.

“I-I’m fine!” The robot insisted. “Sorry to bother you. I’ll just be on my way.” He tried to walk away.

“You don’t look fine,” Mark stopped him. “You realize this is a repair shop? I can fix you up.”

The robot rocked back and forth on his feet. “I don’t have anything to pay you with.”

“Then don’t pay me,” Mark said. “You seem like you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. I don’t want you to collapse before you get there.”

The robot seemed to consider, his eyes flicking from Mark’s to the street. Then he nodded, slowly.

“I’m Mark,” Mark introduced as he unlocked the front door. “And you are…?”

“Jack,” The robot said.

Mark slipped the keys back in his coat pocket as he walked inside the shop. He flicked the lights on before hanging his coat on a set of hooks.

“You can just sit on that table over there,” Mark said. “I’ll get my tools, and we’ll see what we can do for you.”

Mark wanders to a separate room, picking up his toolbox and a box of spare parts before walking back into the main area of the shop. Jack is where Mark directed him to be, anxiously looking around and fiddling with the front of his t-shirt.

Mark sets the box on the ground his toolbox on the table. “I’m just going to peek at the scrapes you have, alright?” He said, and waits for Jack to nod before prodding at the fake skin.

He first had Jack hold out an arm, and Mark felt at the scrape on the elbow. It wasn’t deep, not deep enough to show the metal underneath, but still weak protection, and therefore a hazard.

He goes for the other arm, then to the feet, then to the scrape at Jack’s head. His feet were worn away by walking, by far the worse of all the scrapes. The one on Jack’s head comes in close second, though.

“Do you have any scrapes under your shirt, by any chance?” Mark asked.

Jack shrugs. “I think so. Maybe.”

“Do you mind taking it off so I could have a look?” Mark asked.

Jack seems hesitant, but complies after a moment. He swings the green t-shirt off and sets it beside him.

His chest was littered with scrapes on one side. Some deep, some not so much, but still something that suggests some accident. He examines Jack’s back as well before asking any more questions.

“What happened to cause this, if you don’t mind me asking?” Mark asked.

Jack takes a moment to think. “I fell, I think. It was a while ago, and I think my memory’s failing.”

Mark hums. “Well, I can fix that. Just let me patch up your skin, first.”

He reaches into the box and pulls out a paste. It’s temporary, for until he orders proper replacements, but it’s enough to keep the water out. He fills in all the scrapes he can see.

As he puts the paste away, he notices once again Jack’s breathing is faster than normal. He’s not even moving, and he’s breathing as if he’s working hard. He should take care of that in case Jack’s system suddenly fails.

There should be a panel somewhere on Jack’s torso. He runs his fingers down Jack’s chest, then his back, and before it dawns on him how intimate the motion is, his fingers slip in a crease in the skin up near the back of Jack’s neck.

“Do you mind if I open you up?” Mark asked. “I want to take look at your system, if that’s okay.”

Jack almost seems surprised that he’s asking for permission. “Yeah, go ahead.”

Mark traces the edges of the panel before prying it open. He grimaces as a trickle of water drips from inside.

“You’re flooded,” Mark stated. “Not very much, but all your parts are soaked.”

Watching the air sacks mimicking lungs, he sees multiple holes and a small pool of water in both. A small fan runs faster than it should be, and a couple cords connecting to the artificial brain are snapped. Mark hums, debating how long this fix with take. Surely not today, as multiple parts he didn’t have were needed.

He looks in the box of spare parts he did have. Jack mentioned about having memory problems, and he might have something in here that could help that…

He picks up a box with ‘Memory Chips’ typed on the top. He pulled one out and set it on the table, then wondered how he was going to get access to Jack’s head. Usually robots are made to mimic human’s bodies, so the memory chips should be located in his head.

Jack’s nervous as it is, he can see it in the way his body is held stiff and he’s trying hard not to move, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. The only way to get into his head would be to shut him down temporarily, but Mark feels Jack isn’t comfortable enough to do that. And anyway, Jack’s model is definitely custom-made, so his head might be a mess Mark doesn’t know how to organize. He’d need at least day to get through it.

He gets a couple extra cords from the box and starts to repair the wires acting as nerve endings. When he’s finished with what he can see, he stands, wiping his hands on his shirt. “How does that feel?”

Jack must feel a difference. He extends his arms and stretches his fingers. “Better. My fingers aren’t as stiff.”

“Good,” Mark nodded. “There’s a few things that are going to take longer to fix. I need to order some more parts and dry you off inside.” He prods the air sacks, quickly inflating and deflating. He pulls some tape out of the box, deciding it’ll do for now until he replaces them, and starts to mend the holes while draining the water out from inside them.

He stands back, setting the tape down and checking over his handiwork. Definitely temporarily, will not last long, but it’s enough to keep Jack going until he gets replacements.

“How’s that?”

“…I can breathe better,” Jack noticed. “I didn’t notice it was off before. This is a huge difference.”

“Well,” Mark started. “It’s only temporary. I need to order some replacements.” Jack’s face falls.

“I’m going to be here awhile, aren’t I?” Jack asked, his shoulders slumping.

“Yeah,” Mark answered. “If you don’t mind telling, where are you going in such a hurry?”

Jack bites his lip, his eyes narrowing as if trying to remember. “My owner….disappeared. I don’t know where he is. I’m looking for him.”

Mark nods. It’s rare to see a robot wandering the streets, especially one as beat-up as Jack. Robots are expensive, and Mark would get one just for the company and help around the shop, but he simply does not make enough money. Owners don’t usually up and leave their bots behind, so something must have happened for him to leave Jack all alone.

“Do you know why he disappeared?” Mark asked, but already knows the answer.

Jack shakes his head, pushing his palm against his forehead. “I can’t  _remember_.” He bites his lip in frustration.

Mark sets a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I might not be able to fix your memory right now, but I can later. When I do, we can go search for your owner. I’m sure we’ll find him.”

Jack meets his eyes, watching him a moment, before breaking out in a grin. “You will? Thank you!” Before Mark realizes, he has an armful of the robot.

Mark laughs, patting Jack on the back (then realizing his panel is still open and hastily shutting it) before gently pushing him back on the table.

“I still need to tweak a couple things before being done for today,” Mark stated. “For instance, how are your eyes?”

Jack blinks. At least that mechanic is working. “I…I think it’s working properly.”

“Well, I’ll have a look anyway,” Mark said and moves behind him again.

He fingers the back of Jack’s head, searching for the crease that leads to a part of the artificial brain. It isn’t as complicated near the eyes, and he should have access to everything that keeps them running.

He opens the smaller panel and looks over the wires. Some are burnt out and in need of replacements. Unlike the other missing parts, Mark actually has these in stock. He pulls extra wires out of the box and start to replace the burnt out wires.

“I’m shutting off your eyes for a moment,” Mark said. “Just so I can replace some parts. It won’t last long, I promise.”

“Okay,” Jack replied, more readily now than the last few times he replied.

Mark pulls out the wires connecting to the eyes, and feels Jack jump as his vision is suddenly cut to black.

“Mark?” Jack called out, his hands wandering across the table.

Mark puts his hand on top of Jack’s. “I’m here, you’re alright. Just give me a moment.”

He quickly replaces each wire, all a different color Jack can see. Once he decides they’re all fixed, he plugs them back in, giving Jack a warning beforehand.

He sees Jack jump a second time, before the robot looks around with wide eyes. A smile begins to form on his face. “I didn’t realize I couldn’t see some colors!” He meets Mark’s eyes and seems to freeze.

Mark raises an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

Jack looks away, and if Mark didn’t know better, he’d say Jack blushed. “No, it’s just - your eyes are very brown.”

“Well, that’s good,” Mark said. “So your eyes should be okay now. The rest will have to wait until I place an order. Are you okay staying with me for a few days until the shipping comes?”

Jack nods. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Great!” Mark replied. He goes to a desk on the other side of the room and starts to jot down all the parts he needs. He goes through the box and sifts through what he has, jots down a couple more words. Then something occurs to him. “Hey, who _is_  your owner? Did they create you?”

Jack looks up from his clasped hands. “Yeah, he created me. I was actually created after him; he says I look just like him.”

“What his name?” Mark asked, placing the tape and box of memory chips he left on the table back in the box.

“Oh, uh - Sean McLoughlin.”

Mark hums. “Haven’t heard of him. He must be new into bot engineering.” He looks over Jack. “But I have to say, he’s done his research.” He pauses. “Why did he name you Jack, if you’re made after him?”

Jack shrugs. “He says it’s a nickname to Sean.”

“Was he Irish, by any chance?” Mark asked.

Jack blinked. “Er- what’s Irish?”

Mark huffs out a laugh. “Nothing, nevermind.” He brings the box and his toolbox back into the storage room. When he walks back into the room, Jack is standing and slipping his shirt back on. Mark can see how it’s still wet from the rain and cringes with how much it’ll ruin what he’s fixed so far.

“Er, stop, stop,” Mark said, and Jack pauses. “I have some spare clothes in my office, you can wear those for now.”

When he’s back in the main area of the shop a second time, holding an old flannel shirt and jeans, Jack is wandering around, eyeing the tools on the walls. He didn’t put his shirt back on, thank god. Mark doesn’t know what the water will do to the paste still drying on Jack’s chest.

“Here, wear these,” Mark said, holding out the clothes. “I can dry off your clothes when I get home later. And by the way-” He cuts off as he realizes Jack unbuttoning his pants and beginning to change in front of him.

And Mark would’ve said something, if Jack had been human. But bots don’t typically have human morals, though. So he simply turned around while trying to calm his reddening face.

When he was certain Jack was dressed properly, he turned around. He suppressed a grin when he realized his clothes were a bit too baggy for the robot.

Jack grumpily rolled the sleeves up and poorly attempted at making the clothes less baggy. Mark failed at restraining his giggles and Jack looked up at him with a cocked head.

“What’s so funny?” Jack asked innocently.

Just that expression alone nearly sent Mark into hysterics. But he recovered, biting his cheek to keep from smiling. “Ah, nothing. Hey, do you mind helping me out today? People will be in and out and I’ll just be fixing up some gadgets.”

Jack nods. “Sure, if I’m being helpful.”

Mark pulled out his phone and picked up the list he made earlier. “First, let me order this stuff, then I’ll open up shop.”

He dialed the number and ordered the spare parts he needed. Jack waited behind him, idly wandering around the shop.

When Mark pocketed his phone and turned around, he found Jack watching him with a speculative look that made him pause. He could plainly see Jack thinking hard - which was unusual to see in a robot.

He starts to wonder what exactly this Sean McLoughlin made Jack for. What was his purpose? He didn’t seem to made for any specific job.

It was almost as if…

“Why are you helping me?” Jack asked suddenly, yanking Mark from his thoughts.

“What?” Mark asked dumbly.

“Why did you repair me?” Jack continued. “And offered me shelter? Why?”

“Why not?” Mark countered. “I’m not about to let a life wither out on the street, artificial or not.”

Jack seemed to think this over - further confusing Mark with how advanced this bot’s AI really is.

“…Thank you,” Jack said after a moment. “I don’t think anyone else would’ve done the same.”

Mark’s curious expression softened. “It’s really no problem.”

Jack watches him for a moment, another expression on his face that’s usually foreign on robots. Mark bites his lip, his thoughts running for an explanation on this bot’s behavior.

“I should open up the shop now,” Mark breaks the silence that settled between them.

Jack doesn’t say anything as Mark moves to the door, flipping the sign to show ‘Open’ through the glass.

“How about I show you how to repair some of the things in my queue?” Mark asked. “I think there’s something simple back there - a grandfather clock, maybe. Come with me.”

Jack nods obediently as he follows Mark to the back room where he keeps the gadgets people drop off for him to fix.

The day goes by slowly, Mark teaching Jack how to repair each item. Jack catches on quickly, and in some instances already knows how to repair the items. He doesn’t explain how, just repairs them quietly and efficiently.

When Mark brings him home in the evening, to his little apartment not far from the shop, he finds himself wondering where exactly this little robot came from. Until he delves into his artificial brain, he’ll have to try to figure out himself.


End file.
